Project Process

The PEL project team will work with community stakeholders and the public to identify the transportation deficiencies and needs along the CO 66 corridor. The goal is to understand:

• the communities along the corridor;
• how the transportation system currently functions;
• how the system affects communities; and
• how the system/corridor can be improved now and in the future.

Once the team identifies the transportation deficiencies and needs, it will develop a series of conceptual ideas and alternatives to address these needs. The team will evaluate and consider the ability of these alternatives to meet the corridor's needs, along with any impacts to the communities and the environment.

The CO 66 PEL study began in fall 2016 and is anticipated to be completed in spring 2018. The project team is currently meeting with local agency representatives, and gathering existing condition and high-level visioning information.

After the PEL study is complete, CDOT and local agencies will use a documented set of projects and an implementation plan to identify funding opportunities for design and implementation, as well as identify future transportation right-of-way corridors. The team will also prepare an access control plan to further document CDOT's CO 66 access requirements.

If the team pursues federal funds, a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process will be required. The PEL's resulting recommendations will serve as a "bucket-list" of improvements that will be implemented along CO 66 over time, and as funding becomes available.

The higher-priority projects will likely be implemented first, but the goal is to implement all of the projects identified in the PEL as conditions warrant and as funding becomes available. This process will take many years.